"Xiaoxiao, you can come over now; we are still hiring twenty designers here," Zhou Xinya said upon hearing Tang Xiaoxiao’s words.
She truly wished for Tang Xiaoxiao to join the factory.
Speaking of recruiting, she had no concerns—after all, the factory was prepared for a one-time expansion. However, she didn’t mention other details, like most clothing being shipped to Jinling; those were confidential.
She could keenly sense that Celestial Fortune Clothing was not going to stop here.
Tang Xiaoxiao hesitated slightly but still shook her head and said, "No, I’ll stay with Red Mangrove."
Once again, she declined Zhou Xinya’s goodwill.
And with this refusal, even if she joined Celestial Fortune later on, by then the company would have genuinely developed—countless top designers would be there, making it incredibly difficult to stand out.
Of course, that’s a story for another day.
...
After leaving the clothing factory, Qin Yun returned home. On October 2nd, Qin Yun, together with Qin Guodong and Zhao Mei, went back to their hometown, Qin Family Village.
Qin Yun’s grandparents lived in a senior community not far from Qin Family Village. His grandmother was in good health, but his grandfather’s condition was less optimistic.
This visit was mainly for Qin Yun to see his grandfather.
Upon returning to Qin Family Village, enthusiastic voices rang out.
"Guodong, Zhao Mei, you’re back. And Yun, Yun looks even more handsome!"
"Yun is destined for great success. That clothing factory is huge, with so many people. I can’t even tell what’s where inside."
"Xiaojun, you should learn from your brother Yun."
Some people came over with smiling faces and said.
The happenings at Celestial Fortune Clothing were well known within the village, as people like Zhang Pandi had started working there, making it impossible to keep secrets from familiar faces.
In response, Qin Guodong and Zhao Mei didn’t feel the need to hide anything.
Compared to other clothing factories, Celestial Fortune offered better benefits, higher salaries, an eight-hour workday, official contracts, and comprehensive social insurance.
In reality, many clothing factories in Qingwu County were small, private businesses, where workers often slaved away with meager salaries and no contracts or benefits.
Thus, when connections came to their doorsteps, requesting Qin Guodong and Zhao Mei for help to get in.
Of course, under Qin Xuan’s oversight, those individuals had strong sewing skills, allowing them to work in the factory.
"I heard from Zhang Datou that his wife became a team leader at the Celestial Fortune factory and earns over six thousand, especially with overtime."
"Old Yu wanted his wife to get in too, but unfortunately, he didn’t succeed."
"Their relationship wasn’t that great, after all."
"Guodong’s family really made it big. If we had known, we should’ve fostered a good relationship with them earlier."
Everyone discussed the topic with great interest. Nowadays, owning a factory was a remarkable achievement.
Rural life lacks major events, so Celestial Fortune Clothing had become a frequent topic of conversation.
Qin Guodong and Zhao Mei warmly greeted everyone.
Elsewhere, in a household, a middle-aged man was smoking, while the middle-aged woman beside him disapprovingly snatched the cigarette away.
"What are you doing?" The middle-aged man complained upon seeing this.
"What am I doing?"
Hearing this, the middle-aged woman pointed at his nose and scolded, "You carry the Qin surname, and you and Qin Guodong are cousins. Now that Guodong’s family is thriving, I urged you to reach out and connect, but you didn’t want to. They’re living in Qingwu County, and you claimed you didn’t know where they were; now they’re back in the village, and you’re still silent?"
The middle-aged man didn’t respond, just sat there brooding.
But, the middle-aged woman clearly wasn’t done.
"Look at Zhang Datou’s family. Despite being only cousins with Qin Guodong, his wife and daughter-in-law work at Celestial Fortune. In no time, his daughter-in-law became a team leader, earning at least over six thousand a month."
"You’re a cousin to Qin Guodong and used to be particularly close. Now, Liangliang’s wife is working tirelessly for over four thousand a month. You could simply speak up, and Liangliang’s wife could go to work at Celestial Fortune Clothing."
"Liangliang’s wife is no less skilled than Zhang Datou’s daughter-in-law. Just having her as a team leader would immediately increase her salary by over two thousand, far better than working herself to exhaustion."
She berated the middle-aged man.
The middle-aged man paused and said, "Before, when Guodong’s family wanted to borrow money for a house, we didn’t lend them any; now, how can I approach them?"
His name was Qin Guoyun, a cousin to Qin Guodong. Their fathers were brothers.
Previously, their families were quite close, often visiting each other. But after Qin Yun went to high school and Qin Guodong moved to Qingwu County, they met less often.
Then, housing prices soared, and Qin Guodong and Zhao Mei urgently needed money to buy a house. They sought help, but received none from Qin Guoyun’s family.
Not lending money before, and now trying to cozy up to Guodong’s family, he felt embarrassed.
"Back then, it wasn’t that you didn’t want to lend money, but we genuinely had none! We also needed to buy a house and pay for Qiangqiang’s schooling. If we had money, why wouldn’t we lend it?"
His wife, Tang Fang, was indignant as she said, "Qin Guodong understands your situation. Your relationship didn’t sour over money. Just talk to him, and Guodong certainly won’t object. Liangliang’s wife will get to work at Celestial Fortune Clothing."
"It’s just a few words, and Liangliang’s wife’s salary would increase by over two thousand each month. Is your pride really worth that much, Qin Guoyun?"
Qin Guoyun continued his silence, still seated.
"Grandpa, Grandma."
At this moment, a chubby little child suddenly ran in and said, "Grandpa, Grandma, stop fighting! Teacher said fighting is naughty; Qiangqiang will behave!"
Seeing his grandson, Qin Guoyun paused for a moment, then finally stood up and said, "Alright, I’ll go to Guodong’s place."
Now, the entire family’s goal was to ensure a better life for the grandson. What harm could a few words do?
Seeing Qin Guoyun finally agree, Tang Fang was delighted and quickly said, "I’ll bring something and go with you."
...
Qin Guodong and Zhao Mei were cleaning, while Qin Yun was on a phone call. Seeing several people enter from outside, he quickly called out, "Uncle, Aunt."
"Yun, you’ve grown even more handsome. In college, I bet many girls fancy you," Tang Fang said with a broad smile, even before Qin Guoyun could speak.